Cannabis Regulations across Canada and the U.S.

Each province in Canada is taking a different approach to dealing with recreational cannabis.

What is the Province of British Columbia doing? The Province of British Columbia has stated that there will be both publicly- and privately- operated outlets and the minimum age to possess, purchase and consume non-medical cannabis will be set at 19. On February 5th, 2018, the Province released its "Private Retail Licensing Guide" [PDF] which contains the latest updates on the rules that will apply to retail cannabis stores.

What are the other provinces doing? Alberta will have both public and private outlets and will be implementing a separation distance of 300 metres. They have not yet stated whether there will be a limit on the number of stores. Ontario has opted to allow 40 publicly- operated stores province-wide, while Saskatchewan has identified that they will allow 60 privately-operated outlets. Québec will open 15 government-run stores province-wide and offer online sales.